Dispensing and sealing stopper



Feb. 22, 1944. H. N. PERELSON DISPENSING AND SEALING STOPPER Filed Aug.3. 1942 a JI. 1.

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l lNvsNfroR Patented Feb. 22, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENToFFIcE DISPENSINGAND SEALING STOPPER I Harold N. Perelson, Huntington Park, Calif.Application August 3, 1942, Serial No. 453,479 4 Claims. (Cl. 215-38lThis invention relates to Stoppers of the type shown in my applicationfor U. S. Letters Patent Serial Number 358,057, filed September 24,1940, now Patent No. 2,289,677, dated July 14, 1942, and entitled Rubberstopper.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a dispensingand sealing stopper for ampules and containers for sterile liquidswherein a hypodermic or similar syringe may be manipulated against thestopper tocause a hollow needle therein to establish communicationbetween the syringe and the interior of the container for withdrawingthe contents of the container, with provision in the stopper for sealingthe needle and maintaining it sterile by its enclosure within thestopper upon withdrawal of the syringe from the stopper.

The stopper disclosed in my patent hereinbefore identified is 'equippedwith a hollow needle the outer end of which protrudes at all timesthrough the outer end of the stopper for affording a connection with asyringe, the inner end of the needle being enclosed in the stopper andadapted to penetrate the stopper and communicate with the interior ofthe container upon pushing the syringe and needle inwardly. While thisarrangement maintains the inner end of the needle enclosed in thestopper and keeps it sterile, the outer end of the needle remainsexposed and subject to contamination.

In the stopper of the present invention the inner end of the needle isdisposed in the stopper for communication with the interior of thecontainer while the outer end is normally enclosed in the stopperwhereby both the needle and container contents are maintained sterileand sealed to the atmosphere. When the syringe ispushed inwardly againstthe outer end of the stopper,

that portion of the stopper is moved inwardly causing the normallyenclosed outer end of the needle to penetrate a penetrable andself-closing membrane and directly enter, with a snug nt, the stem ofthe syringe whereby a sealed means of conjunction of the syringe andneedle is effected. Upon withdrawing the syringe the selfclosingmembrane is withdrawn from the needlev thereby leaving the outer end ofthe needle enclosed, sealed and protected against contamination withinthe stopper and constituting the main improvement of my invention.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in thenovel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and set forth in the claimshereto appended, it being understood that various changes in form,proportion, sizev and minor .details of construction within the scope ofthe claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Referring to the drawing: l

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional, part elevational, view showing astopper embodying mv invention as when manipulated to provide forwithdrawing the contents of the container into a syringe. Figure 2 is asectional, part elevational, view similar to Figure 1 with the stopperin the sealed position assumed when the syringe is retracted but notdetached from the stopper. y

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of the stopper in its normalneedle-sealing and container-closing position as when the syringe isvremoved.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the stopper.

Referring to the drawing more specifically, vA designates the stopper, Bthe container in the mouth of which the stopper is mounted, and C thestem of the syringe D by which the stopper is manipulated to cause thenormally enclosed hollow needle E to penetrate, the sealing membrane Fand extend into the stem C for withdrawing the contents of thecontainer. At this point it should be noted that uponwithdrawing thesyringe from the stopper the membrane F is removed from the needle E andthen functions to enclose and seal that portion of the needle whichmakes connection with the stem C when 'pro'-v truded through themembrane F. This sealing arrangement protects the needle fromcontamination and maintains it sterile in an efficient manner not heretoaccomplished in this art.

As here shown the stopper'A is made of a body of rubber, syntheticrubber of other suitable compressible and resilient material, insections I and 2, the section I being the stopper portion proper with aange 3 for overlying the rim 4 of the container. The section 2 of thebody is formed like a flanged cap and telescopes the section I, therebeing a skirt-like bead 5 on the inner end of the section 2 forencompassing the rim 4 to hold said section inplace and the stopperassembled. The interior of the cap-like section 2 is counterbored toreceive the flange 3 and define a shoulder 6 against which theouter rimof said flange is seated.

The outer end of the stopper; that is, the closed end of the cap-likesection 2, constitutes a flexible wall 'l provided interiorly andexteriorly with corresponding annular grooves 8 defining a reduced webportion 9 permitting the enlarged center portion I 0 to be readily movedinwardly and outwardly without damaging the stopper.

The two sections ofthe stopper body define between them a chamber II andthe inner section I is provided with an axial bore I2 leadingtherethrough from said chamber, in which bore a stop collar I3 fixed onthe needle E, is snugly tted and held against movement. The inner end ofthe bore I2 is reduced forming a shoulder I 4 against which the collarI3 is seated to prevent it and the needle from being pushed inwardly.The inner end of the needle as here shown is normally protruded inwardlyfrom the stopper and is at all times in communication with the interiorof the container B.

The needle E as here provided extends outwardly from the bore I2 throughthe chamber I I so that its outer end is disposed in a needlereceivingand guiding bore I5 in the wall 1 and normally spaced from the thinpenetrable selfclosing sealing membrane F which is a part of the wall 1and separates the needle-receiving bore I5 from a syringe stem-receivingbore I6 in the wall 1, said bores I5 and I6 being co-axial and openinginto the chamber II and on the outer surface o the wall I respectively.

The annular grooves 8 in wall 'I define the center portion Ill in theform of a socketed boss to receive the stem C of the syringe D. Thisformation also defines an annular bead Il at the upper end of thestopper to reinforce the stopper when the wall 1 is stretched inwardlyas shown in Figure 1 and otherwise.

In the use of my stopper, the syringe stem C is inserted in the bore I6in the wall 'l and the syringe is pushed inwardly until the wall 'I isstretched inwardly as shown in Figure 1, to the extent that the membraneF will encounter and be penetrated by the outer end of the needle E.When the needle penetrates this membrane it directly enters the bore ofthe stem C in a close or sealing t thus establishing communicationbetween the syringe D and the interior of the container whereby thecontents of the latter may be withdrawn upon appropriate manipulation ofthe syringe.

It should be noted that the boss-like portion I8 on the inner side ofwall I in which portion the needle-receiving bore I5 is formed willenter an enlarged part I9 of the bore I2 as shown in Figure 1 while ashoulder 20 on said portion Iii will contact the lower section I as astop to limit the inward movement of the wall 1.

Upon retracting the syringe D as shown in Figure 2 the walll isretracted so that membrane F is lifted from the needle (then held by thecollar in bore I2) said wall then sealing the needle. Upon completewithdrawal of the syringe the stopper appears as shown in Figure 3 with'the needle enclosed therein and protected (as in Figure 2 also) fromcontamination. In this manner the needle is automatically sealed and theouter end of the needle enclosed and sealed as soon as the membrane F iswithdrawn from the needle, thereby maintaining a sterile needle at alltimes.

I claim: l

1. In a dispensing and sealing stopper, a body of resilient compressiblematerial adapted to be inserted into the mouth of a container to sealthe same, a cap adapted to engage the perimeter of said body extendedbeyond the mouth of said container and therewith form a sealed chamber,said cap having a exible end wall and a syringe receiving bore thereinopening on the outer face thereof for reception of the stem of a syringeand also provided with a needle-receiving bore opening into saidchamber, a penetrable selfclosing membrane integral with said wall andseparating said bores and a hollow needle the shank thereof iixed insaid body and within said chamber the one end of said needle incommunication with the interior of the container and having its outerend in the needle-receiving bore and normally spaced inwardly from saidmembrane in a position to penetrate said membrane and extend into thestem of the syringe in said syringe-receiving bore upon the pushing ofsaid stem and said flexible wall inwardly, said wall being retractedfrom its inwardly pushed position upon withdrawal of the syringe therebyretracting the membrane from the needle whereby the needle and chamberbecome sealed,

2. In a dispensing and sealing stopper, a bodl7 adapted to close andseal the mouth of a container, a cap having a flexible end wall andproviding a` rim adapted to engage said body and form therewith a sealedchamber, an outwardly opening syringe-receiving bore on said wall forreceiving the stem of a syringe and a penetrable self-closing membraneclosing the inner end of said bore relative to said chamber and a hollowneedle the shank thereof xed in said body whereby the one end of saidneedle communi- Cates with the interior of the container and the otherend is Xedly held in position to penetrate said membrane and extend intothe stem of the syringe in said syringe-receiving bore upon the pushingof said stem and flexible wall inwardly, said wall being retracted fromits inwardly pushed position upon withdrawal of the syringe therebyretracting said membrane from said needle whereby said needle andchamberbecome sealed. Y

3. In a dispensing and sealing stopper, a body member adapted to beinserted in the mouth of a container, an extension on said body adaptedto prolong said body exterior of said container mouth, a hollow capmember comprising a flexible penetrable self-closing end wall and havinga rim portion adapted to engage said body extension and form therewith asealed chamber, a syringe-receiving bore in said wall adapted to receivethe stern of a syringe, a hollow needle, means longitudinallyaiixingsaid needle in said body with the one end thereof in communication withthe interior of said container and the other end normally disposedWithin said chamber contiguous to said .wall and aligned with' said borein a positionl to penetrate said wall and extend into the syringe stemin said syringe-receiving bore upon the pushing of said stem andilexible wall inwardly, said wall being retracted from its inwardlypushed position upon withdrawal of the syringe thereby retracting thewall from the needle whereby the-needle and chamber become sealed.

4. In a device of the character described, a body adapted to close andseal the mouth of a container, a cap, means on said body and cap forsecuring each to the other to form a sealed chamber therebetween, aflexible end wall in said cap having an outwardly opening syringestemreceiving bore therein the inner end of said bore closed by a penetrableself-closing membrane integral with said wall and a hollow needle xed insaid body and having its one open end disposed exteriorly of said bodyand its other open end sealed within said chamber adjacent to saidmembrane for the purpose described.

HAROLD N. PERELSON.

